Konomae no
by xHotaru
Summary: I thought I had the perfect life. It was my senior year, I was student council VP, my girlfriend and I had just reached our 10 month anniversary… Everything was going just the way I wanted it to. Well, at least I thought it was… AU NaruHina NaruGaa
1. Chapter 1

**Konomae no**

AU  
Naruto's POV  
NaruxGaa  
NaruxHina  
Naruto (c) Kishimoto Masashi & Jump Comics

**Notes;  
**I wrote this for some OCs of mine, but I figured no one would want to read it unless it had popular characters in it. :)  
So… here goes nothing!!

* * *

I thought I had the perfect life. It was my senior year, I was student council VP, my girlfriend and I had just reached our 10 month anniversary… Everything was going just the way I wanted it to. Well, at least I thought it was…

* * *

It was a Monday and I sat in art class listening to my weird teacher tell a story about what happened to him over the weekend. Apparently, his younger cousin got in trouble with some drugs and stuff, so he was going to come and live with him. That way, he could go somewhere where he could get a fresh start and finish high school.

I guess his parents kicked him out… I felt bad for him, but honestly, what a dumbass. Some lady from child services came to look at my teacher's house and ask him some questions. I guess it was funny when he said they asked what he would do if he found his cousin having sex in his house and he responded 'ew barf.' :\ I mean, he was kind of funny, but he kept using the same jokes over and over…

Nothing much exciting happened for the rest of the day, except that bitch Ino got her lunch tray dumped over her head. Haha. At home, I fell asleep doing my homework and I had the strangest dream…

* * *

_I was walking along a river, it was night and the moon cast a comforting glow on everything. Someone walked beside me, their hand in mine. As I turned to look at that person, the moon slipped behind a cloud and all I caught was a glimpse of soft green eyes._

_"I'll never forget you." I said quietly. 'You' looked down at your feet. I really didn't know what was going on, but it felt overwhelmingly sad._

_You stopped walking and looked me in the eyes. I was crying, and you wiped my tears away, smiling weakly. The moonlight reflected off of your pale skin; you looked so beautiful. And I was sure I knew you, but I just couldn't put my finger on it._

_You let go of my hand gently and stepped back, away from me. I called out to you, "Wait…" it was barely a whisper. You were starting to disappear into the mist. I reached out and grabbed on to you, pulling you back to me. You smiled, cupping my face in your hands and kissing me._

_It was a really powerful kiss. I felt like it was really happening, not just a dream. Subconsciously, I put my arms around you waist. It certainly was strange to be kissing a complete stranger. I didn't even know if you were a boy or a girl. You ran your fingers through my hair and I shivered. Judging by your figure, you were a guy, but that didn't seem to bother me._

_You pulled away and leaned to whisper in my ear, "Naru, Hinata's on the phone."_

* * *

I was jolted awake by Iruka holding a phone in my face. I was a little upset, being woken in the middle of a dream. As weird as it was, there was something nostalgic about it, and I was really curious as to how it ended. With a sigh, I took the phone from my 'guardian' and muttered a quick thanks.

Hinata, my girlfriend, called to ask a question about our math homework, but as usual, our conversation got way off topic. She was currently in the middle of detailing her latest dream, one involving flying fish and a large wheel of cheese. I thought about my dream. I decided it wouldn't be very smart to tell your girlfriend about a dream where you were kissing another guy. My mind wandered, and I became curious … Was that what real love? I loved Hinata, so why hadn't our kisses ever felt like that? And who was that boy? A boy that beautiful deserved to be remembered, but I drew only blanks.

I was probably giving it too much thought, but that dream almost felt … real, like a memory. Subconsciously, I ran my tongue along my teeth.

As it out of nowhere, I heard Hinata's voice over the phone. Realizing what I had been thinking of, I blushed and apologized for not paying attention. We talked for a while longer, but my mind kept going back to that dream.

* * *

As I walked into class that day, I had no idea what was ahead of me. Nothing could have prepared me for what was about to happen. It had been a few weeks since that dream, and I hadn't given it any more thought. I passed it off as a teenager with raging hormones kind of thing. And, well, Hinata made me watch a girly movie the night before. But, I really had no idea how this was all going to come together in the end.

* * *

**End notes;  
**Well, there is the first chapter!!  
If you like it, let me know  
See you in chapter 2 :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Konomae no**

Naruto (c) Kishimoto Masashi & Jump Comics

**Notes;  
**Thanks for all the lovely reviews :)  
I forgot to mention the title means "of the past" …

* * *

I was walking to class when I saw someone in the hall that I had never seen before. I could only see the back of their head, but I noticed that it was a boy. He was wearing dark jeans with at least three belts and a black sweatshirt with the hood up, a sure sign that he was an 'emo kid.'

Sighing, I continued to walk. I felt bad for the emo kids being depressed and such, but did they have to take it out on everyone else? … I smiled and waved at my friends who passed me in the hallway and then, I saw that emo boy turn around.

Instantly, I recognized his soft green eyes. They were the same ones from my dream. With their thick black outlines, it felt like they were piercing my soul. I stopped. Uncertainly, I looked at him again. He was staring at me with shock on his face, slowly inching towards me. I was only a few steps away from my next class, but I was rooted to the ground.

He stopped a few inches away from me. "Naruto," he whispered, "Is it really you?" His face held a sad expression. He brushed his fingers across my face, removing his hood to reveal dark red spikes.

I blushed at the contact, and I felt my eyes water a little. Why was I crying? I didn't even know what was going on. "Who… who are you?" I said.

"You promised you'd never forget me." He took his hand away, pushing a piece of my hair behind my ear. "Don't you remember me? Naruto?"

The way he said my name, there was something so… loving in it. No one had ever said my name like that before. "Who are you? … What do you want from me?" I took a step backward, but was stopped by a wall.

"I thought you'd be a little more enthusiastic. After all, we haven't seen each other for, what, almost three years? I haven't changed that much, have I, Naruto?" He frowned.

I was silent. He could be just messing with me, but somehow I felt that I could trust this strange boy.

"It's me, Gaara." He looked so sad when he said it.

"Gaara?" The word rolled off my tongue, like I had been so used to saying it.

"Good." He smiled, and then he kissed me.

I could feel the blush on my face as he tilted his head to the side and slid his tongue into my mouth. My knees felt weak, and I leaned on the wall behind me to keep myself from falling to the floor. I was completely still, in total shock.

Gaara put my arms around his waist and began to bite at my neck.

I knew I shouldn't be doing this. Two feet away was my fourth period class that I had with my girlfriend. The late bell had already rung so I knew someone would come out into the hall to shut the door and see me. I didn't even know this guy. But then again, I was never one to think very hard about the consequences of my actions.

He bit down hard on my neck and I gasped. "That's it," He whispered, looking me in the eyes, "Naruto."

"Gaara." I said, looking into his eyes as well. They were so mysterious and entrancing; I wanted to keep looking until I figured out all of his secrets.

He leaned in and kissed me again, this time with so much passion and longing that I couldn't help but return it. I mean, who was I to deny him something that he wanted more than I had ever wanted anything in my life. He seemed surprised at first, but I could feel him smiling. I stood up off the wall so he could put his arms around my neck. This was the kind of kiss that if you get, you can die happy. :)

"Mr. K!! Naruto's eating your brother's face!" An annoying nasally voice snapped me back to reality. Before I could even untangle myself from Gaara's arms, half of the school was looking out or their classroom doors. It was completely silent.

I turned away from Gaara, ashamed of what I had let myself do, only to come face to face with Hinata. "Naru, what the hell is going on?" She looked so upset. I felt absolutely terrible. What had I done?

Gaara took a step back from me. The dreamlike feeling I had been feeling before had completely vanished. I stood still, staring at the ground. I could feel all the eyes on me, and hear the whispers echo like waves. "I'm … I'm sorry, Hinata."

Mr. K, the art teacher, came out and whispered something angrily to Gaara. I knew that it was about me. It was the worst feeling. Gaara said something back to his brother, but I couldn't make it out.

Mr. K went completely pale. "You… I thought you made that whole thing up!" He looked at me; I shifted my feet, feeling awkward. He then glanced at everyone staring, "What the hell are you all looking at? Get back to class!" Quietly, the school returned to normal. Well, everyone except for me.

* * *

**End notes;  
**Phew I typed this up so fast!  
Gaara is a little OOC here, like, he's so forward! Don't worry, it'll make sense soon…  
Let's pretend that Kankuro is Mr. K and he's, like, ten years older than Gaara. :P


	3. Chapter 3

**Konomae no**

Naruto (c) Kishimoto Masashi & Jump Comics

**Notes;  
**Another chapter! Please enjoy  
I felt bad about leaving a semi-cliff hanger, so I'm updating quick!  
Thanks to all the reviewers, you guys are fast!!

* * *

I was alone in the hallway with Gaara. I looked at my feet, unable to say anything. I felt embarrassed and I suspect he felt the same way.

"Naruto?" Hinata poked her head out of the door, "Can I come out here?" She said softly, "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"It's alright," I said, solemnly.

"Naru… who's this?" I could feel her heart breaking through those words.

"He's Gaara." I looked her in the eyes. "I don't know what I was thinking. I'm so sorry. He just came on to me. And I didn't know what was happening."

"Ohhh, Naru-chan, you know you liked it" Gaara said, sneering slightly towards Hinata. They exchanged death glares for a moment until Hinata sighed.

"Naruto, I want you to stay away from him."

"He was mine first." Gaara crossed his arms. "_You_ stay away from him."

Hinata took hold of my arm. She wasn't a relatively strong girl, so I think this was her way of intimidating him. "No. He's my boyfriend. Don't come near him, you freak."

"Stop it, you guys!" I said, standing in between them. "It's my fault, ok? I should have never let you kiss me," I looked at Gaara, "And I sure as hell should have never kissed… you… back," My voice faltered towards the end, as I felt Hinata's eyes burn through the back of my head.

"What? Naruto?" She was starting to cry. Shit, I screwed up big time. Hinata never cried. "I… I thought we had something … special."

"Well, so did I," I replied feebly. "Until, well…"

"What?" She snapped.

"Well… how come you've never kissed me like that before?" I blushed. Gaara smirked. God, he must be enjoying this.

"I could have forgiven you," A tear rolled down her cheek. I tried to wipe it away, but she stepped backwards, shaking her head, "Don't."

It was silent for a moment before she continued. "Naruto, I'll talk to you when you have everything in order and all figured out, ok?" She stumbled through her words, tears running freely down her face. "And Gaara, I'm sorry we had to meet like this. Maybe if it were under better circumstances we could have been friends." Hinata turned and walked back into class.

"Well, damn, Naruto, you really screwed yourself over on this one." Gaara said flatly.

I felt like shit. I must be the biggest asshole in the entire world right now… "Yeah, and it's your fault, you … you… None of this would have happened if you hadn't … ugh." I crossed my arms angrily.

"Yeah, but you liked it," He winked suggestively.

"Cut it out," I sighed, leaning against the wall, "I don't even know you and you just practically ruined my life."

"Come on, Naruto. Of course you know me. What are you talking about?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Want me to say it again? I don't know you," I sighed, exasperated. This guy was starting to get on my nerves.

"Honestly, Naruto. Don't tell me you forgot a whole year of your life." He looked at me skeptically. "Ok, ok… What do you remember about your freshman year?"

"Well, I…" I said, "I … I, uh," Nothing. There was nothing there. I knew freshman year came between eighth grade, when I broke my arm jumping out of a tree and sophomore year, when I moved to a new school and met Hinata. But, I couldn't remember anything about it, almost like it never happened.

I hated to admit it, but… Could this guy be for real? I swallowed hard. "I don't remember."

"Cut the crap, Naruto. You remember. Just think about it," I think he was getting a little frustrated. But, I wasn't sure I wanted to remember.

"No, there's nothing there…" It was strange. I never tried to remember that time before. But, it's not like your memory can just disappear by itself. So, I must have done something block it out. Though, I couldn't imagine what horrible thing would have made me do it?

"Don't you remember? We were in the same homeroom. Ms. Shizune?"

I stared at the ground, "I don't remember." As much as I was scared of what might have happened, I was twice as curious.

It was silent for a long time. I shifted uncomfortably under Gaara's lingering gaze. A few times we tried to say something, but nothing was said.

"Well," Gaara finally said, "aren't you going to ask what happened?" He raised an eyebrow, smirking.

I bit my lip. I was fighting myself. One side of me said to forget all about Gaara and go apologize to Hinata. But, the other side said to listen. "So, will you tell me?" My curiosity always got the best of me.

Gaara smiled brightly, "Of course. But first, let's get out of here."

"Ok… like, how?"

"Cut class" He winked, grabbing my arm and making for the nearest exit.

"But, I'll get in so much trouble…" I frowned.

"So? Come one, we used to cut together all the time."

"What abou-" I was cut off as that strange redhead dragged me out the door and down the sidewalk.

* * *

**End notes;  
**I just want to say, I don't hate Hinata. I really like her.  
I'm sorry that I'm mean to her in this story… :(


	4. Chapter 4

**Konomae no**

Naruto (c) Kishimoto Masashi & Jump Comics

* * *

I kind of regretted coming with this guy. He was pretty weird. But, I guess I believed him, what he said. I mean, what reason would he have to lie?

"So, how do I know you're not completely making this up?" I asked, skeptical.

"Well… you trust me?" Gaara answered, I think he was joking.

"Really," I said seriously.

"Alright… Your name is Naruto Uzumaki. Your birthday is October 10th. Your favorite color is orange, but sometimes blue. You don't have any parents, but you live with your 'uncle' Iruka. Your favorite food is ramen noodles. When you were a kid, you wanted to be the president when you grew up," He sighed, "Enough?"

I paled. It was all exactly right. You can't just guess that stuff. I was in the middle of deciding whether or not Gaara was a very dedicated stalker or not when we happened upon my house.

"Is this your house?" Gaara pointed. I must have headed here subconsciously.

"Yeah," I started to walk up the driveway, "Iruka's working, so you can come in."

* * *

I was sitting on my bed and Gaara on the chair across the room.

"You haven't always lived here, have you?"

I shook my head, no.

"When you last moved, it was your sophomore year?"

I nodded.

"Do you remember if you threw away any boxes?"

I shrugged. I couldn't remember. And where was he going with all these questions?!

"Do you have an attic or something? Where all the boxes are stored?"

"Yeah, why?" I hopped off my bed and walked into the spare bedroom.

"Nothing, really…"

Why did I even invite him into my house? I had no idea, but there must have been some reason. I had just met him a few hours ago, but already he had wormed his way into my life. What the hell was I thinking? I would throw the life I worked so hard to get away for some guy I didn't even know?

"Um, Naruto? Are you ok?" Gaara put his hand on my shoulder. I had been staring at the closet door.

"Oh, they're in here. The, uh, boxes." I opened the door and saw his eyes light up when he saw the top box. It was a plain brown cardboard box, on it was written, "PANDA-CHAN" in thick blue letters.

"That's it. That's the one." Gaara smiled a little. I helped him lift it down and carry it into my room.

He set in on the floor gently; opening it like it was the last box on earth. Slowly, carefully.

"Wait," I stopped him, "What's in there?" Motioning to the almost open box, I asked.

"You'll see," He smiled, really truly smiled, for the first time since I saw him today.

The lid was lifted off and set onto the ground next to where we sat. Inside the box was, well, another box. :( Gaara took it out and set it between us.

"Open it," He whispered.

I frowned, slowly opening the smaller box. Inside were, probably, 500 pictures. I flipped through them one by one as Gaara moved next to me and put his arm around my shoulders. I would have pushed him away, but, I just couldn't.

Every picture contained either me or him. Some were funny and posed, some were with people I guessed were our 'friends,' and some just made me blush. ..'

I felt like my life was flashing before me eyes, except, I wasn't dying. My vision blurred as my eyes filled with tears.

"Why the hell are you here?" I turned to face Gaara, putting the pictures back in the box and pushing it aside.

"I couldn't just forget about you, Naruto." He looked me in the eyes, kneeling next to me.

"Kuu-chan," I whispered, my arms wrapping around Gaara's waist and my head burying in his stomach. I tried to hold back my tears, but it was inevitable that I would cry like a blubbering moron.

"Naruto! You remember? I knew you didn't forget!" He put his hands on my shoulders and shook me a little, "Oh, I'm so glad" He pulled me closer and put his arms around my neck.

Gaara's happiness seemed to just make me feel worse. I was full out sobbing bow, my fists full of his shirt.

He sat down across from me, taking my hands in his. His smile would make the sun envious, "Naruto, isn't this great? We can be together again, just like old times. What do you think?"

My head slumped down. I sniffed, trying to stop crying, but I couldn't, "I… I…"

"Are you alright?" Gaara asked, "Sssh… It's ok." He put his hands in my hair and wiped away my tears, "Don't cry, ok?" He pressed a kiss to my forehead.

I looked up into his eyes and put my arms around him. He smiled at me and I sniffed. For a long time we sat there, on the floor of my room, holding each other in our arms.

Maybe it was making up for lost time, or maybe not. But it sure was the most emotionally overwhelming thing I've ever experienced.

* * *

**End notes;  
**Alright! He remembered!  
I wonder what will happen next :o  
Please review:3


	5. Chapter 5

**Konomae no**

Naruto (c) Kishimoto Masashi & Jump Comics

**Notes;  
**Happy birthday Shino!  
Happy my half birthday!!  
:D

Double line break in between past/present

* * *

"Hey… hey, Naruto!" Everywhere around me was dark. His voice floated to me from all directions.

"Na-ru-to?" A light came into view. I felt myself being shaken gently. I must have fallen asleep… how embarrassing.

"You were drooling on me," Gaara smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, sorry…" I blushed. I felt really awkward. He acted like the last time we saw each other was yesterday. I'm sure that would have been nice, but my life has changed since then and I'm sure his has too. And now that I remembered all of it, how was I supposed to know if I still loved him or not?

"What are you thinking about?" He tilted his head cutely.

"Oh… uh, nothing… nothing really," I said feebly.

"Come on… I know you're lying. But it's ok if you don't want to talk about it." He smiled.

I don't think I have ever seen a person so happy in my entire life. To be honest, it was a little weird.

"Really, it's ok. Besides, I practically owe my whole life to you. I was totally hopeless before we met, remember? …"

* * *

The first day of high school! I was so excited; I had gotten up extra early to make sure I had everything in order. I couldn't wait to see all my friends again after the vacation.

I smoothed out my unruly blonde hair and winked at my reflection before running out the door and hopping in my friend's car, talking and laughing wildly all the way.

At school, I had been so busy chatting my head off that I barely managed to slide into my seat a second before the late bell rang. I chose a spot in the middle of the room where I could easily talk to all of my friends. Quickly glancing around, I spotted several cute plastic pigs on her desk and a large winged pig hanging from the ceiling. (1)

"Good moooooorning!" A young woman's voice floated over our chatter. "Welcome everyone! My name is Ms. Shizune and I'm going to be your freshman English teacher. It's so nice to meet you all!!" She spoke kindly and with such exuberance that you could tell her passion was to teach.

"I see that you have all found your friends, but because this is a new school, you all should meet new people. So… I made a random seat chart!"

Ugh. I groaned along with the rest of the class. Whenever there was a random seat chart, I always got put either front and center or next to some really gross person. Ughughugh. D:

"I know that you all hate it and I don't like starting the year with you all hating me, but it's for your own good and I'm sure you'll thank me for it later. Ok, so… everyone get moving!

"Alright… Corey up front, next Rin…" I crossed my fingers and begged for a good seat. Oh, please please don't let me sit by that disgusting girl! "… Gaara on the left, Naruto on the end…"

Hm. I sighed. I wasn't by any of my friends. In fact, I was far away from all of them! It was like this teacher knew what I was thinking. But, at least I wasn't next to anyone gross. Since I was on the end, I was only next to one person, a boy with red hair and dark clothes. He didn't look like he would be too interesting to talk to, but I couldn't tell for sure. After all, I could only see the back of his head.

I sat down in my new seat. "Hi! I'm Naruto." I smiled at the redhead. He turned to look at me. His hair fell in gentle spikes over black outlined eyes. I had to bite my tongue to keep from making a fool of myself. He was … perfect; green eyes that pierced your soul, pale, flawless skin, soft features.

"I'm Gaara." His voice was smooth. Not too deep, not too high. I used to think that I was pretty cool, but I could never compare to him. I bet he has to fight off his fan girls with something really heavy. ;; Was it wrong of me to be envious?

But, he looked so sad. The instant he replied to me, he turned back to staring blankly out the window.

"So, uh…" I desperately tried to make a conversation. Usually it comes easy to me, but for some reason I just couldn't put my thoughts together, "Do you like English class?"

"I hate school." He didn't even look at me this time.

"Oh… so are you in any clubs?"

"No." I could tell he was getting annoyed. But I didn't want to give up. If I was going to sit by this guy for the whole year, I was going to make him talk!

"Well, what middle school did you go to?" I smiled brightly… at the back of his head.

"North." Gaara replied, flatly.

"Oh, my friend Sakura went there, maybe you know her!"

He turned to look at me. At first I thought that maybe I found something he liked, but then his eyes clouded over with anger. "Look, Naruto," He spit out my name like it was a bitter fruit, "I don't know what the hell you're trying to do, but I don't need your fucking sympathy. Leave me alone, ok?" He turned away harshly, his words lingering in the air.

I didn't know what to say. Where had all this rage come from? "I… I'm sorry. I- I just thought…"

"Thought what? That you could pretend to be nice to me and then stab me in the back like everyone else?" The words were caustic, burning. "Don't bother. Just, just stay away from me."

"Listen, I didn't mean any harm, but if you're going to go fucking psycho for no reason then fine. It's not hurting anyone but yourself." I felt sorry for this kid, but that didn't stop me from getting mad at him. I turned my back and stared at the wall.

Ms. Shizune started talking about something. I'm not too sure what it was, but it probably wasn't that important. I felt eyes burning through the back of my head.

"Look…" A harsh whisper found its way to me ear. "I… I didn't mean to be a jerk. It's just… I usually don't have good experiences with people…"

"Hn." I kept staring at the wall. I heard him sigh in defeat, and then I turned around. "Yeah, sure, whatever you say. But you should learn to be nicer or you'll never have any friends."

He looked at me out of the corner of his eyes.

"Gaara! Naruto! I'm glad to see my random seat chart inspired your friendship, but please save the chit-chat for after class."

"Sorry. Gaara was just asking me about what you said." I spoke up. When I flashed her one of my trademark smiles she nodded and continued talking about… whatever she was talking about.

We didn't talk for the rest of the day.

* * *

**End notes;  
**(1) Shizune has a pet pig in the anime, Ton-ton. w

Please review!!  
Thanks so much to Rianne


	6. Chapter 6

**Konomae no**

Naruto (c) Kishimoto Masashi & Jump Comics

Double line break between past/present

"Pretty different, yeah?" Gaara said to me. He was lying on the floor, my head on his chest. His arm was around my neck and his fingers were in my hair.

Normally, this would have been quite awkward, if not uncomfortable, but now I felt his touch was the only thing keeping me attached to reality. "Nn." I closed my eyes again.

* * *

"Gaara? Why did you talk to him?" My friend Kiba cringed.

"Well, he looked lonely," I frowned, "Why, what's wrong with him?

"Well…" My other friend Sakura, who, along with Kiba, went to North middle school, "He… um."

"He what?" I was curious.

Right when she opened her mouth, the bell rang. "Oh, man, I have to go. I'll talk to you later, kay?" The pink haired girl ran off to class, which was, inconveniently, not the same as mine…

Oh, well. I'd just have to ask Gaara himself.

"Hey." I sat in my chair next to the weird redhead kid.

"Oh, hi." He was ferociously scribbling something onto a paper.

"What are you doing?" I squinted at it, but it didn't look familiar.

"Maths homework. Shut up, I'm almost done."

"… is that due today?" :( Craaaaaaappp.

"If it wasn't, why would I be doing it?" He glared at me.

"Um… can I copy yours? Pllllleeeeeaaaasseee?!"

"Do it yourself." D:

"But, I don't know howww!" I pouted.

He hastily scribbled down the last problem and sighed. "Then you should ask for help."

"Alright already," I put on my best nice-guy face, "Will you please teach me your amazing math skills please?!"

"Not me, the teacher, you idiot!"

"But if I ask him, he'll know that I didn't do the assignment." :(

"Ugh. Fine, you can copy mine. But only today."

"Ah, yaaaayy!! Thanks so much!" I smiled brightly.

He just shook his head.

After class, I went up to Gaara in the hall. "So, when are you going to teach me math?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. I sighed.

"So, um, do you want to sit by me at lunch?" I'd known him for almost a week now, so I didn't think I was being too forward. And, he was a lot more interesting to talk to that I first thought. I hoped my friends wouldn't mind too much. Only Kiba and Sakura seemed to know him, so I thought it was all good.

After an eternity, he nodded, "Sure." :)

* * *

"Look," I said, chasing after Gaara down the hall. "I'm sorry about my friends. They were… it's just that it's always been just us. No one new has joined our group since, well, a long time ago.

"Tomorrow, I'll sit by you and your friends and you can teach me math!" I smiled.

"I don't have any friends." He replied flatly.

"Oh, come on, no one doesn't have friends." I shrugged.

He crossed his arms and frowned.

"So, what, then. I'll just leave you here and never talk to you again?" I raised an eyebrow at him before starting to walk away.

"No, wait…" Gaara said softly. "Today, you can, um, come to my house and… I'll teach your math." He looked up at me.

I turned around. "I knew you would! Thanks so much, my parents would kill me if I failed." :(

"Oh." I think he tried to smile here. Maybe, but I don't think he had it in him.

* * *

"So, Gaara." I said, stuffing my face with chips while sitting on his bedroom floor. "Who are you gonna ask to homecoming?"

"Me with a date? Ha. Yeah right." He laughed.

"Haha, you are soooo lying."

It had been a couple weeks since I came to Gaara's house to learn math. It was kind of awkward, but I got a B on the next test! Since then, we'd become much better friends. Today, I was at his house to study for science, but we got distracted…

"Oh, come on. What would make you say that?"

"Well…" He was still as attractive as when we first met. I mean, he was attractive, but I wasn't attracted to him, I thought. "Well, there's no reason not to. Who knows, she might put out!" I laughed. Gaara was definitely not the kind of guy to take advantage of a girl.

"Whatever," He stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth. I could tell he was trying not to laugh.

"Well, so, there must be someone you like, then." I liked bugging him; he got so flustered so easily.

"Um, no, not really." He blushed a little, turning his head away, obviously trying to hide the pink tinge on his cheeks.

"OOOOHHHHHH! There is someone! Who is it??"

"It's, well, kind of embarrassing." His blush turned dark pink.

"Tell me tell me tell me tell me!" I begged, "Plllleeeaaasssseeee!"

"….." –blushblushblush-

"You can tell me. We're friends, right?" I smiled.

"It's … a secret." Gaara winked.

"Oh, pphhhlllbbbtt." I stuck my tongue out at him, grabbing my math book and dramatically scribbling down the next problem.

He laughed, but I could tell he felt relieved.

* * *

"You sure did blush a lot." I said matter-of-factly.

"Well, it was pretty embarrassing…" Gaara scratched the back of his head. We still lay on my floor, his arms around my neck, toying with my hair, my head resting on his stomach.

"You never told me who it was that you liked…" I smirked.

"It was you, doofus." He hit me on the head, playfully.

"Oh… really? So, then…" I can't believe I didn't know that. "Why me? I was pretty much a pain in the ass." I bit my lip.

"Well, you were the first person to be nice to me in so long. I couldn't help it." He smiled brightly.

"Aww, that's really cute." I was feeling myself relax around Gaara. It felt weird, still, but not nearly as weird as before.

"Seriously, though. I thought that after 'that' you would have known I liked you." He looked me straight in the eye.

"After what?"

"You know…" He blushed, yet again. "_that_."

* * *

**End notes;  
**Haha! Cliffhanger :3  
Who knew Gaara was a math genius :P  
Also, sorry for the extreme delay in updating. My apologies. bows


	7. Chapter 7

**Konomae no**

Naruto (c) Kishimoto Masashi & Jump Comics

**Notes;  
**The drama begins!! Well, again :)

* * *

I was having an argument with myself. The debate was over whether or not I had just been checking out Gaara. I mean, Gaara!! He was my best friend. And a guy at that… Ugh. Ughughugh. I hit my head on my desk, pulling on my hair.

I felt some weird looks coming from the people sitting across the room from me. This was History class, so Gaara sad across the room from me. It was a Friday, so we were just watching a movie. He was sitting in his desk, head resting on his arms, and looking so … cute. D:

No! It wasn't like that. Ugh… I squinted my eyes and smashed my face into my crossed arms. I wouldn't look… But I did. I kept peeking out from over my arms. This could not be good.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. I mean, I knew Gaara was attractive, but I never thought I'd be attracted to him… This was going to screw up the whole 'friends' thing. UGH. D:

After class, Gaara came up to me. "Naruto, are you alright?" He leaned his head to the side a little. "You don't look so good. Maybe you should go to the nurse… Don't want to be sick for the weekend!"

"No, I'm fine, thanks." Dammit. He must be doing something different, because I would have noticed how hot he was earlier… I sighed. "So, got any plans for this weekend?" I tried my best to act like nothing was wrong.

"Um… no. Why?" Gaara looked at his feet.

"Well, I hear there's gonna be a pretty rad party this Saturday. Free beer, tons of hot chicks…" I winked, disguising what was really going through my mind.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't trying to get Gaara at this party all drunk and then molest him in some closet or something. I was just hoping that I could think about something else…

I pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of my pocket. And address was hastily scribbled across it in bright green ink.

"Oh, that's right by my house." Gaara noted, pointing to the paper.

"Really? That's great. So I'll see you there? Tomorrow at eight o'clock?" The bell rang and I started walking off to my next class, looking back at where Gaara stood, clutching that scrap of paper.

"Oh, o… k…" He nodded feebly.

"Great!" I winked and walked off smiling.

* * *

After school, I was sitting on a picnic table under a tree, talking to Kiba, Sakura and some other people I knew.

"Are you still talking to that weird kid, Naru?" Sakura asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, so what?"

She made an ugly face. "Ugh, he's … well."

The other people in our group nodded. Sheesh, was there some juicy secret being spread without my knowledge?

"Well," a red haired girl said, "I heard he's a fag."

"Yeah," Kiba added, "In the 8th grade, the most popular and totally hot girl asked him out and he said no."

I raised an eyebrow. So what? I once turned down a hot girl because she was a bitch. :

"Uh-huh," Sakura said, "And he never talks to anyone or has any friends. Except, well, you, sort-of…" She frowned. "What a weirdo."

"Hm," A boy with glasses said, "But who really cares about some loser. What about that new movie coming out tomorrow?"

Our conversation turned lighter after that. It was strange how we as humans can change from cruel to pleasant in just an instant without batting an eye. I sighed. Life was getting pretty interesting…

* * *

There was a little hesitation in Naruto's last few steps before he left his house Saturday night. He told himself everything was and would be fine, be really he wondered what the hell he had gotten himself into.

* * *

"OOOOIIII!" My breath turned into a cloud as I yelled out to Gaara. He was sitting on the curb by the driveway of the party house. It looked fairly innocent from the outside, but I knew there was a whole other world inside.

"Naruto…" He frowned, "You're late. I'm freezing…" He tugged on his short sleeved t-shirt.

"It's October, dummy." I smiled, "C'mon, let's go!"

We started to walk when Gaara's soft voice stopped me. "Erm, what exactly do you do at … a place like this?" He looked up at me through his hair. "I've never, well…"

"Say no more! Don't worry. It'll be super fun, promise." I smiled.

Gaara gave me a questioning look.

"Besides, things like are better experienced first hand than explained." I grabbed his arm and pulled him in the door.

As soon as the front door opened, the loud beat of music and stench of beer hit us in the face. There were people everywhere.

I wandered into the main living room, holding on to Gaara by his wrist. I watched as his eyes darted around, curious, taking in all of his surroundings.

The pounding music seemed to come from all sides, the mass of dancing bodies moving as one. I dragged Gaara into the middle of the gyrating monster.

"Come on!" I flashed a bright smile. I spotted a group of people I knew and started dancing by them. "Gaara, don't be so --"

I stopped when Gaara's eyes widened as someone grabbed his ass and quickly disappeared back into the crowd. "What the hell was that?" He mouthed.

I laughed. "Loosen up! Come on, let's get a drink." He followed me into the bright white kitchen. I took two cans of beer from the fridge; Gaara took one and eyed it suspiciously. I took a drink, smiling, "Go on, it won't kill you."

He did, and then opened the pantry closet. I laughed as Gaara received the second shock of this night. A couple getting pretty intense almost fell into his face.

Shutting the door quicker than I could blink, he backed away. I elbowed him in the side, grinning, "Better get used to that quick."

* * *

After a few hours and countless drinks, everyone had loosened up quite a bit. I was dancing with a cute red-haired girl while Gaara found himself at the center of a huge compacted group fighting to stay upright. There were at least ten couples making out in this room alone.

All in all, I think everyone was enjoying themselves. Gaara came up to me and said something but the music drowned it out. I smiled at him and pulled him over to dance by me and the red-haired girl. He smiled back, for the first time since I met him.

* * *

It was at least two am. Gaara was helping that same redhead cutie, Cassie, across the room. She was wobbling; girls really couldn't hold their liquor, I thought.

I was flirting with a short brunette girl, Haru, in the corner next to Gaara and Cassie. She had her hands on me and I was smiling. We laughed at the blush on Gaara's face when Cassie stumbled into his arms.

I think we all probably had too much to drink. Cups and cans littered the floor, the room was smoky but it all felt right.

I took a cup from the end table next to me and took a sip. Passing it on to Gaara and the others was the last think I remember before it all went black. I suppose I passed out on the couch, but I really didn't have a clue.

* * *

**End notes**;  
Thanks for all the reviews. I read them all! They really do help.  
Sorry it takes me a while to update. I'm bogged down with AP test & ACT prep. D:  
I hope that this story makes sense, and if not, that it will real soon.

Keep reading! :3


	8. Chapter 8

**Konomae no**

Naruto (c) Kishimoto Masashi & Jump Comics

**Notes;  
**Dramadramadrama!!  
Enjoy :)

* * *

I woke the next morning to the sound of my cell phone ringing. Why on earth I picked 'Ridin' Dirty' for my ring tone, I had no idea, but it was the last thing I wanted to hear right then.

The obnoxious song kept playing as I slung my arm over the side of the bed and searched blindly for my phone. Finally, I retrieved the maddening object from the bottom of a small pile of something soft. I answered groggily, "Hello…?"

"Naruto! Where the hell are you, man? You said you'd meet me at noon. It's two o'clock!" It was Kiba.

I grumbled, my eyes still shut against the bright afternoon sun, "Oh, sorry… You woke me up. I -"

"Oh," he interrupted, "and Iruka wants to know why you're not home."

"I _am_ home." I said, annoyed.

"No, you're not." Kiba replied flatly, "I'm looking in your room and it's empty."

"Shit. Lemme call you back." It was then that I decided to open my eyes. Glancing around at my surroundings, I figured that I just crashed in one of the spare beds in the party house. There was no way I could get all the way home walking at that hour.

The room was pretty messy, cluttered with mostly papers. Then I noticed a dark brown guitar in the corner. This was Gaara's room! He did say he lived near the party house. Maybe he let me come here so I didn't have to walk home. Well, that was certainly nice of him. I smiled.

Then, my eyes focused on a pair of tie-dye boxers on the lampshade. My smile faded into a look of horror. I would recognize those anywhere, after all, they were my good luck underwear. But, why were they on the lampshade? And why was all the rest of Gaara's and my clothes scattered around his room.

Oh. Shit. What the hell happened? This had to be a dream, right? I closed my eyes and counted to ten. When I opened them… it was all still there. I didn't dare turn over.

I closed my eyes again and a little started coming back… Gaara's hands on me, pulling me towards him; my fingers in his hair, pushing him up against a wall; his hips against mine, my lips pressing softly on his skin.

I shook my head. I didn't want to think about it. My head was pounding, there was definitely some 'miscellaneous contraband' going around that party last night. I sighed.

"Nnngh…" A sleepy noise floated from the area behind me. I slowly rolled over. Gaara was moving but, thankfully, still asleep. He let go of the wad of blankets he was clutching and instead wrapped his arms around me. I blushed red. Great, now if I moved, he would wake up.

Just a few moments later, his eyes began to flutter open. I swallowed hard. Preparing my self, I relaxed in his grip.

Gaara gave me a sleepy smile. His eyes were barely open and he was barely awake. "Mornin', Naru…" It was the cutest thing I had ever seen. D: I smiled back, wary, not knowing if he was as in the dark about last night as I was. Oh, here it comes, Gaara's eyes snapped open and he recoiled away, holding on o the edge of the blanket for dear life.

"Naruto!? What the hell are you doing in my bed?" He nearly screamed.

"I… don't know…" I shifted uncomfortably under Gaara's scrutinizing gaze. "I was hoping you could tell me." I offered a slight smile to show I meant no harm.

"Well, I…" He said quietly, blushing bright pink, "I suppose we… um." He looked away from me. "If you mean 'why' or 'how' then, I don't know either." He turned to look at me again, relaxing a little.

I rolled onto my back, looking at the plastic stars stuck on the ceiling, arms crossed on my chest.

"Do you think we … um, really… uh?" He asked quietly.

"Well, given the surroundings, I'm leaning towards a 'yes.'"

"Oh." There was silence for a few minutes. Gaara looked around his room at the 'evidence.'

"I'm sorry." I sighed.

"Oh!" Gaara's gaze came back into focus on me. "It's ok. I mean… for what?"

"Well, if I never invited you to that party, this wouldn't have happened…"

"It's no big deal, ok? I agreed to go with you." Gaara started to move to get up. I blushed and turned away, remembering that he was naked. Trying my hardest not to look at him, I got up and did the same.

As I pulled on my pants, I felt his eyes on me. I hurried, not noticing my shirt was on backwards.

"So, this never happened." Gaara said to me, arms crossed, standing by the door.

"Right," I nodded, "Pity we won't remember our first time, though." I looked at him one last time before heading out. But, there was something in Gaara's eyes. I stopped.

"Y-yeah." He looked away awkwardly. There was definitely something there, but he was hiding it quite well.

"I'll always wonder what it was like…" I whispered. There, I saw it again in his eyes, it was more clear this time. I still wasn't quite sure what it meant, but I decided to follow my instinct.

I took a step closer to Gaara and covered his lips with mine. It must have been the right thing to do because the next thing I know, he had me pressed up against the wall with his tongue in my mouth.

I let my hands wander up under his shirt as he ran his fingers through my hair. We turned; I now had him pinned to the wall. Gaara's arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer. A soft groan escaped his lips as I raked my nails gently across his bare chest.

I froze and I think Gaara did the same. It hit us, just then, exactly what we had been doing. We slowly backed away from each other, breathing hard and blushing so red.

Gaara sad solemnly on the edge of his bed and I sat down in a chair across from him, "Well, shit," I leaned back, sighing, "This really complicates things…"

"I… yeah." He said, looking down at the floor.

"Gaara, I … I'm sorry. Again, but really I am." I bit my lip, frowning slightly.

"It's ok. I mean, I didn't … hate it." Gaara blushed.

"Well …" I thought about what I was going to say. Honestly this was one of the least likely situations I'd ever thought I might get in, so I was completely unprepared. "Well, neither did I." I smiled. Gaara looked up at me and smiled back.

My phone rang again and I stood up. "I should probably go…"

"Yeah." Chamillionaire kept singing.

I nodded, turning towards the door. "Just… we can't tell _anyone_, ok?"

"Ok." He shot me a wary glance as I shut the door behind me.

* * *

**End notes; **  
Whew, here it is!  
I hope you liked it


	9. Chapter 9

**Konomae no**

Naruto (c) Kishimoto Masashi & Jump Comics

**Notes;  
**Sorry for the long wait!!  
This starts out in the present.

-----------------------

"How could you ever forget?" Gaara chuckled. His hands wandered up under my shirt.

"Yeah…" I shivered, reaching out of his tight hold to pull the comforter off my bed and on top of us.

Gaara pulled me closer and kissed my lips softly. I closed my eyes, feeling the blush tinting my cheeks pink. Man, what was I, a preteen girl? Pulling away from Gaara, I sat up and leaned against my bed frame.

"What," he said, "had enough already?"

"My ass is asleep." I said flatly, rubbing my eyes.

Gaara smiled, "You crack me up. Come on, your bed is much softer." His smile turned into a smirk and I began to decode his intentions.

Reluctantly, I climbed on after him, lying on my side, facing away from the door. Gaara faced me, so close our foreheads were touching. He pulled the blankets over us and took my hands in his.

"You know…" he touched my face gently and ran his fingers through my hair, "You're here and I'm touching you, but it feels like any minute I could wake up and you'd be gone." He sighed softly, sadness reflecting in his eyes.

"No." I squeezed his hands in mine and smiled. "I won't leave. I promise."

Gaara laughed, "When did we get so sentimental? I feel like a girl…" He gave me a quick peck on the lips before putting his arms around me and pulling me close.

-----------------------  
-----------------------

"Dayum, Naruto! You get some last night or what?" Kiba was sitting on my front porch, laughing. "About time you got back, man. So, who was it?" His eyes sparkled with evil as they wandered to the massive hickey on my neck.

"Well, actually…" I blushed as red as a tomato. "I'm not sure what even happened… Y'know, waking up on a couch in a strange house doesn't offer much closure." I scratched the back of my head, stammering through my sentences. If there's one thing I hate, it's lying to my friends.

"Haha, jeez." He laughed some more, obviously enjoying my discomfort. "Well, we better get out of here before Iruka sees you. He is _sooo _pissed." He made a scary face, pantomiming an ogre-ish creature. "What a beast!"

"Oh no you didn't!" I chased Kiba down the driveway, laughing.

Compared to where I was only a few minutes ago, this life was so much simpler. Fun, carefree, that's how I like it…

As we escaped down the street in Kiba's beater car, I tried as hard as I could to keep 'him' off my mind.

-----------------------  
**End notes; **  
Sorry for the shortness.  
It just seemed to end here.


End file.
